Machine for continuously making ice

ABSTRACT

Machine for continuously making ice cubes, with a rotating screw conveyor which continuously scrapes ice from the inner surface of a double walled cooling jacket and discharges the ice by extruding it through an upper perforated plate. The ice extruded in such way is cut off by a scraper blade, producing ice cubes which are ejected from the machine. The rate of flow of feedwater to the ice maker is controlled in dependence on the rate of flow of overflow water leaving the ice maker. The overflow water forms a water column from which water is drained away at a constant rate. The height of the static water column influences a diaphragm valve which controls the rate of flow of feedwater fed to the ice maker.

United States Patent [1 1 usch O MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY MAKING ICE [76] Inventor: Christian Beusch, Zollstrasse,

Fl-9494 Schaan, Switzerland [22] Filed: Aug. 20, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 173,431

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [451 July 1o, W73

Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner Attorney--W. G. Fasse 57 ABSTRACT Machine for continuously making ice cubes, with a rotating screw conveyor which continuously scrapes ice from the inner surface of a double walled cooling jacket and discharges the ice by extruding it'through an upper perforated plate. The ice extruded in such way is cut off by a scraper blade, producing ice cubes which are ejected from the machine. The rate of flow of feedwater to the ice maker is controlled in dependence on the rate of flow of overflow water leaving the ice maker. The overflow water forms a water column from which water is drained away at a constant rate. The height of the static water column influences a diaphragm valve which controls the rate of flow of feedwater fed to the ice maker.

6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDJUL I own 7 ll l MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY MAKING ICE The invention relates to a machine for continuously making ice, particularly to an auger type ice maker.

In continuously operating ice making machines of this kind, which have to operate largely without supervision by an attendant, a difficulty arises in adjusting the feed of water, fed to the ice making part, to agree precisely with the available cooling power. If the rate of feed of water to the ice making part is too high some of the water is cooled but passes through the ice making part without becoming frozen and flows out again as cooled but still liquid water. The cooling power used in cooling this excess flow of water is lost. If, on the other hand, the flow of water is insufficient the cooling capacity of the machine is not fully utilized.

Assuming that the available cooling power is known, it is of course possible to feed the water at exactly the right rate so that substantially no excess water flows through the ice making part. However in practice difficulties arise due, on the one hand, to fluctuations in the inlet water temperature, varying water supply pressure and variations in the available cooling power, these parameters varying among other things with the geographic position the machine is installed in and with the time of year.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for automatically and continuously manufacture ice by optimal utilizing the cooling capacity of the machine.

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE INVENTION The machine is equipped with control means for controlling the rate of feed of water to the ice making part in dependence on the rate of flow of the excess water which overflows from the ice making part.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially sectionalized elevation of the apparatus according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the ice making part.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus 1 or machine for continuously producing ice in the form of coarse grains or lumps is connected by connections and 16 to a refrigerating unit of any convenient known kind, which is not represented in the drawing. The refrigerating unit can for example contain a coinpressor cooler, or it can operate on the absorbtion principle.

The cooling jacket in which the coolant is circulating through the chamber 27, is provided with the inlet and outlet pipe connections 15 and 16.

The ice making part or apparatus 1 has a drive 2 consisting of a motor which drives the screw conveyor 26 of the ice making part or apparatus through a reduction gear. The ice making apparatus 1 has a deliverly head 3 in which the product ice is collected. The ice being then delivered through a deliverly shute 4. The machine and the method of functioning is more specifically described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,666.

The water for making ice is fed to the ice making part 1 through an inlet pipe 6. The ice making apparatus 1 contains a vertical screw conveyor 26 which continuously scrapes ice from the inner surface of a double walled cooling jacket 25, the screw conveyor 26 conveying the ice continuously upwards. Above the screw conveyor there is a perforated plate 30 through which the ice is extruded upwards, the ice slush being compacted in the perforations 29 by the extrusion. A scraper blade 34 is fixed on the conveyor 26 and is therefore rotatably mounted in the chamber 28. The product ice is delivered in the form of lumps or grains which are ejected through the delivery shute 4. The process of compacting the ice slush expels excess water. Further excess water, which has a temperature close to the freezing point, leaves the ice making apparatus in the form of an overflow. A certain strictly limited amount of overflow is desirable, to ensure that the ice is not excessively cooled and to carry away precipitated lime and other impurities.

The purpose of the control system which will now be described is to keep the rate of overflow approximately constant irrespective of the inlet water temperature, the ambient temperature, the inlet water pressure, the cooling power delivered by the refrigerating unit. The control system is arranged so that the rate of feed of water to the ice making part is adjusted automatically in adaptation to the prevailing operating conditions.

The overflow water expelled from the ice during extrusion is collected in an annular slot in the delivery head 3 and leaves the delivery head 3 through an overflow pipe 5 and reaches a diaphragm control valve 13. In the control valve 13 the overflow pipe 5 is connected to a pressure chamber 32 above a diaphragm 8 so that the water forms a static water column 14 with a level 24 in the lower part of the overflow pipe 5. The diaphragm 8 which is made from a flexible material is fixed to the housing of the valve by a sealing border 21. Connected to the lower part of the overflow pipe 5 a short distance above the control valve 13 there is a branch pipe 19 containing an adjustable throttled orifice or control valve 20, which is adjustable to allow overflow water to leave the overflow pipe 5 at a desired rate of flow. The overflow water is collected in a receptable 22 and then drained.

The diaphragm 8 is connected to a valve needle 11 which cooperates with a valve seat in a feedwater supply pipe 12 which is under the pressure. The diaphragm 8 is loaded by a compression spring 10 which tends to lift the valve needle 11 off its seat and tends therefore to open the valve 18.

The control system operates as follows: When the rate of flow of overflow water is excessive and greater than desired, the static water column 14 increases in height, applying greater static pressure to the diaphragm 8, which deflects downwards, throttling or entirely interrupting the flow of feedwater through the inlet pipe 6. Consequently the rate of flow of water through the ice making apparatus and the overflow pipe 5 decreases, overflow water being constantly drained away through the drain valve 7, and the static water column 14 decreases in height, reducing the static pressure applied to the diaphragm 8 and allowing the valve 13 to open more, whereby the flow of feedwater through the inlet pipe 6 is increased. It should be observed that the flow of overflow water through the overflow pipe 5 normally ceases entirely only if the screw thread of the screw conveyor in the ice maker has become coated with ice, choking the system. Under these circumstances the height of the static water column 14 decreases enough to open the valve 13 fully, lifting the valve needle 11 off its seat and allowing all the available water pressure to act on the ice maker through the water inlet pipe 6. This releases the ice adhering to the screw thread of the screw conveyor, re-

storing the ice maker to its normal method of functioning. Consequently the overflow water flows thereafter normally again and the level 24 of the water column 14 increases, which results in an increased static pressure to the diaphragm 8 and bringing the needle 9 into a more closed position. The control system therefore counters any tendency to ice up in the screw conveyor 26 by automatically increasing the inlet water rate and pressure, releasing desposited ice from the screw conveyor automatically without any necessity for manual intervention by an attendant.

As soon as the available cooling capacity becomes insufficient to freeze the existing flow of feedwater, the rate of flow of overflow water increases, the control system responding automatically by decreasing the flow of feedwater. The control system automatically adjusts the operation of the ice making apparatus in such a way that fluctuations in the ambient temperature and in the temperature of the feedwater are automatically regulated and adjusted.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the continuous production of ice, comprising means defining a cooling zone, conduit means connected to direct feed water to said cooling zone for freezing water therein, extrusion means for extruding ice frozen in said cooling zone and including over-flow water passage means positioned to receive over-flow water, flow control means in said conduit means for controlling the flow of water therein, and

means directing water from said over-flow passage to said flow control means, said flow control means comprising means responsive to the over-flow water received thereby for controlling the flow of water in said conduit means in dependence upon the rate of water in said over-flow passage means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said flow control means comprises throttle valve means in said conduit means and means for controlling the throttle valve means, and wherein said means directing water from said over-flow passage comprises second conduit means, pressure sensitive means responsive to water in said second conduit means connected to control said means for controlling the throttle valve means, and outiet means for draining water from said second conduit means at a predetermined rate, whereby the position of said throttle valve is controlled by the amountof water accumulated in said second conduit means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said flow control means comprises a diaphragm valve having a diaphragm and a water pressure chamber on one side of said diaphragm, means connecting said pressure chamber to said passage means, throttle valve means arranged in said conduit means and including a valve needle operatively connected to said diaphragm and forming a movable part of said throttle valve means, and adjustable outlet means having a throttled draining passage and positioned to drain water from said pressure chamber means, whereby the throttling position of said needle is dependent upon the height of the static water column accumulated in said pressure chamber means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said valve needle is fixed to said diaphragm and further comprising spring means for biasing said throttle valve means in an open position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a source of pressurized water connected to supply feed water to said conduit means.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means defining a cooling zone comprises a hollow cooling jacket, means for introducing feed water from said conduit means into said jacket at the lower end thereof, cooling means for cooling said jacket to effect feeding of feed water in the inside of said jacket, said extrusion means comprising screw conveyor means rotatably mounted within said jacket for transporting ice formed along the wall thereof to a pressing zone, said screw conveyor means having a vertical axis, whereby ice is conveyed upwardly thereby to said pressing zone, means for rotating said screw conveyor, a horizontally disposed flat perforated plate positioned at the upper end of said screw conveyor, scraping means positioned above the upper side of said perforated plate for cutting off ice extruded through said plate, housing means surrounding said scraping means and having an opening for the removal of ice therefrom, said passage extending into said housing.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N 3,7 l-,266 Dated July 10,

Inventor(s) Christian Beusch It is certified that error appears irl the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column H, line '20 should read;

H. The apparatus of claim 3, w

Signed and sealed this 27th day of November 1973 (SEAL) Attest i EDWARD M. FLETCHER,JR. RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents M uscoMM-oc eoave-peo U,5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1 l9, 0-3661. 

1. An apparatus for the continuous production of ice, comprising means defining a cooling zone, conduit means connected to direct feed water to said cooling zone for freezing water therein, extrusion means for extruding ice frozen in said cooling zone and including over-flow water passage means positioned to receive over-flow water, flow control means in said conduit means for controlling the flow of water therein, and means directing water from said over-flow passage to said flow control means, said flow control means comprising means responsive to the over-flow water received thereby for controlling the flow of water in said conduit means in dependence upon the rate of water in said overflow passage means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said flow control means comprises throttle valve means in said conduit means and means for controlling the throttle valve means, and wherein said means directing water from said over-flow passage comprises second conduit means, pressure sensitive means responsive to water in said second conduit means connected to control said means for controlling the throttle valve means, and outlet means for draining water from said second conduit means at a predetermined rate, whereby the position of said throttle valve is controlled by the amount of water accumulated in said second conduit means.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said flow control means comprises a diaphragm valve having a diaphragm and a water pressure chamber on one side of said diaphragm, means connecting said pressure chamber to said passage means, throttle valve means arranged in said conduit means and including a valve needle operatively connected to said diaphragm and forming a movable part of said throttle valve means, and adjustable outlet means having a throttled draining passage and positioned to drain water from said pressure chamber means, whereby the throttling position of said needle is dependent upon the height of the static water column accumulated in said pressure chamber means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said valve needle is fixed to said diaphragm and further comprising spring means for biasing said throttle valve means in an open position.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a source of pressurized water connected to supply feed water to said conduit means.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means defining a cooling zone comprises a hollow cooling jacket, means for introducing feed water from said conduit means into said jacket at the lower end thereof, cooling means for cooling said jacket to effect feeding of feed water in the inside of said jacket, said extrusion means comprising screw conveyor means rotatably mounted within said jacket for transporting ice formed along the wall thereof to a pressing zone, said screw conveyor means having a vertical axis, whereby ice is conveyed upwardly thereby to said pressing zone, means for rotating said screw conveyor, a horizontally disposed flat perforated plate positioned at the upper end of said screw conveyor, scraping means positioned above the upper side of said perforated plate for cutting off ice extruded through said plate, housing means surrounding said scraping means and having an opening for the removal of ice therefrom, said passage extending into said housing. 